


The stoop of Saint Mary’s

by Irrelevantrelevancy



Series: The horizon series [1]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: All the kids who aren’t adopted just take Janice’s surname, Hope y’all are ready for some angst, I ain’t playing games no more, I didn’t realize I named so many orphans, I know what you’re all thinking, M/M, if y’all the the horizon and the balcony was bad, it’s time for real pain, no John doesn’t have a million kids or a million siblings, so many Laurens’, that was hell to type out, this puts Annie to shame, too many - Freeform, you ain’t ready
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-10-14 04:39:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17501726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Irrelevantrelevancy/pseuds/Irrelevantrelevancy
Summary: This is a prequel to the horizon and the balcony, I guess it could be read as a stand alone





	The stoop of Saint Mary’s

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I hope you aren’t too sick of the horizon universe because now you get to see our favorite boys from the block growing up! Leave a comment if you like it!

**1983**

On the eleventh of January, the week after the new year a baby boy was born. He was a small thing, barely weighed anything. He was light in his mother’s arms, he fit perfectly. She gave a gentle smile and used her thumb to brush back the hairs on his head. It was a chestnut brown and splayed across his hair in small waves. She wrapped the blanket tighter around the two, no harm would come his way.

 

“Alexander”she whispered. “I’ll call you Alexander”

 

He slept peacefully in her arms, tucked between her breasts. _If only he could stay this small forever she thought._

 

But like all children, he didn’t.

 

**1984**

The baby grew and grew until he could scale the length of the dining chair. He crawled for the first year of his life, chasing his mother around with a toothless grin on his face. She was only a little worried, six months passed his first birthday and he was still crawling. She didn’t know who to ask or what to do.

 

“He’s just a late bloomer”she would say to herself to quell her worry. She worried he would be handicapped, she didn’t have the experience nor money to have a handicapped child. One day while they were sat in the garden he pushed himself up on his feet and he ran. Rachel let out a squeal of delight absolutely beside herself with relief. He was wobbly of course but he was running. After that day he was restless, always running,always getting into things, always learning.

 

 

**1987**

“What is this Alexander?”Rachel said pointing to a garden on their walk through town. The two were on their way to church. The now four year old boy paused in his tracks and pondered. He looked darling in his little suit, it cost Rachel a fortune but it was worth it. His hair was tied with an emerald ribbon in a ponytail. Traditionalists they were, this island used to be colonial. The only change was the slight advance in technology and the slang.

 

“Well...those are flowers and that’s a tree and that’s a tomato”he said pointing to each object in question. Rachel smiled and resisted the urge to ruffle up his hair.

 

“Right again, my smart boy”she said. Alexander beamed with pride and set off in a skip at the sound of the church bell.

 

“Are you gonna play the piano mama?!”He exclaimed dragging her down the street. She situated her shawl over her shoulders and kept her head down. She couldn’t bear the thought of burdening her son with her secret.

 

“Don’t I always?”She asked. He giggled and let go of her hand breaking off into a sprint. Rachel let out a sound of surprise before peering off into the distance. She could hear the crashing of the ocean. she shook her head fondly with a chuckle and picked up her skirt running after him. _My darling boy_ she thought. _The sea always called to him._

 

**1991**

“Come Alexander, sit on mama’s lap”she said. Alexander quickly put down the book he was reading and walked over. The boy was on Christmas break, his mother was preparing to play for the Christmas mass. She had dragged Alexander along for the day. _You need to get out of that stuffy house_ she would say. Alexander just wanted to read his book. She looked beautiful, the pastors wife had gifted her a baby blue prairie dress as an early Christmas present. She now wanted to work extra hard to make sure the piano would be beautiful.

 

Alexander took a seat on her lap, she smiled. In her eyes he was still her baby boy, barely weighing a thing. He was quite petite with feminine features, she worried he would be ridiculed for it. The boys his age were growing and it seemed like Alexander had just...stopped. She blamed herself for it, she always tried to give him as much to eat as she could but he never seemed to be hungry. His nose was always too caught up in a book. _Alexander eat your bread_ she would say. _Alexander I brought you left overs from the diner_ she would say. The thought of food just never piqued his interest.

 

“ _Mon petit lion_ ”she said fondly. Alexander grinned and kicked his legs, they barely reached the ground. She shuffled the sheet music in front of her.

 

“Won’t you sing in the choir this year?”she asked. He had a lovely voice, such a promising young tenor. That could be his ticket off the island but he always refused. Just as she suspected he shook his head.

 

“Why not?”She asked.

 

“The boys will laugh at me”He said softly.

 

“Never mind the boys Alexander, do what you want. Do you want to sing?”she asked again. He nodded shyly, she gave his shoulders a proud squeeze.

 

“That’s my boy!”she exclaimed happily. Rachel was quite the spirit, she wasn’t as soft spoken as the other women in the little town. She made her opinions heard, about the church, about politics, about women’s rights. If Rachel believed in it, she spoke on it.

 

“The first song is God rest ye, do you remember?”she asked. He nodded his head happily, mother always played it best. She made church fun, she always played the somber songs in major key. The pastor was delighted by this, she became head pianist.

 

“ _très bon_!”she exclaimed and began the piano.

 

“God rest ye merry gentlemen let nothing you dismay!”her voice rang clear through the church. A strong soprano, Alexander knew well. He joined in half way giggling furiously as he bounced on her lap. Her legs were moving rapidly with the foot pedals causing him to bounce. She played all the white keys and he played the black keys. He forgot all about the teasing at school. All that mattered now was the grace of god, the beauty of the piano, the sound of music and his wonderful mother.

 

**1993**

“I heard his mother had a scholarship for the _Conservatoire de Lille_ ”A woman whispered as Alexander walked down the street. Head down, make sure no one notices you. All eyes were on him, he could never understand why. Why was he of all people the gossip of town?

 

“Yeah but she eloped with that Scotsman instead”Another woman said. Alexander paused briefly, Scotsman?

 

“A Spanish Scotsman of all things”The woman scoffed. If he remembered clearly his father was Puerto Rican, at least that’s what his mother told him.

 

“Poor Rachel left to raise him, it’s almost a shame he left her”The woman said. Alexander finally turned around, a rich woman. She had to be from the other side of the island, she wore a mini dress and heeled sandals. She caught his gaze and smirked, still she kept on with her conversation.

 

“Poor Alexander Hamilton. The bastard, Whore’s son”she said carelessly. His face flushed with anger as he stomped up to the two.

 

“My mother’s no whore”he growled. The women chuckled and fanned themselves.

 

“She was also unfaithful, no wonder your father left. The poor man was probably paranoid that he would be next”She said.

 

“You take that back you bitch! My father died!”he exclaimed.

 

“Oh my, did mommy not tell you?”she asked.

 

“I...what?”he snarled.

 

“Your Father left, with your brother. She was the talk of Nevis before you were born. You should talk to her about that”she said. It was almost sincere but the laugh that followed banished that idea entirely. His face flushed in embarrassment as he stomped down the street. No wonder mama told him to stay away from the towns square.

 

Alexander hurled himself through the door throwing his backpack on the ground. His face was hot and he was only seeing red. Rachel looked up with a start, she dusted her hands on her apron.

 

“Is it true mama? Am I bastard?”he asked sharply. Rachel looked up from the stove top like a dear caught in the headlights. Alexander spared a glance at the oven. _Soup and bread again_ He thought.

 

“Alexander, _mon petit_ -“she started. His hands trembled at his sides, he lifted one up to wipe his eyes.

 

“Mama answer me!”He croaked. Rachel rushed forward and wrapped the boy up in her arms. Alexander went slack against his mothers frail frame. He knew he wasn’t supposed to, he knew he could hurt her but he could barely hold himself up. Rachel’s heart filled with woe, she should have told him.

 

“You told me that dad died before I was born! You failed to even mention I had a brother!”he cried out. He tone was filled with nothing but betrayal. He held his mother on the same pedestal as angels and she _lied_ to him. Rachel worried her bottom lip between her teeth, she knew this day was coming just not so soon. He was far too young to have this stress on his shoulders.

 

“Y-you didn’t tell me that he left you-no _us_ mama! He left us and you were just okay with that!”he screamed. The tears were gone and he was livid. Rachel felt her eyes fill with tears. She was so young herself, so naive.

 

“I was just trying to protect you. I couldn’t stop your father from leaving! Alexander I’m trying my best-“she started. A cough racked through her violently. _Illness_ , Alexander knew it all too well. He jumped back instinctively and Rachel went tumbling to the ground. His eyes widened as he breathed out a silent curse, he could repent later.

 

He threw himself to the ground next to her. _Check her pulse_ he could hear his aunts voice in his head, _make sure she’s breathing_. _Don’t stress her_. He had failed the last rule.

 

“Oh no, oh no no no Mama get up!”he cried. His tiny hands fumbled with her wrist pressing his thumb against her pulse line. Her heart was still beating, relief flooded his system. He pressed his ear against her chest, she was wheezing but she was breathing. She had just passed out. He let out a silent chuckle of relief and brushed his hair back with his fingers. He had been the cause of this.

 

“I’m sorry mama”he whispered. He picked her up with a heave and laid her on their shared bed mat. He tucked the blankets up to her chin and kept a pot by her side, she always woke up nauseous after her dizzy spells. Alexander tied his hair up and grabbed the spare apron off the rack, one of the nicest things mama owned. It was a gift from his father, he knew not to use it. _She would be more angry if I dirtied my school clothes_ he reasoned. He continued the cooking without a second thought, he would be late to work again. He would simply need to take the night shift, but when would he do his homework? He set the stove on low and quickly pulled his homework out of his backpack. He grabbed the pen his teacher had given him, she was a missionary from the United States. Sent here to educate the impoverished youth, _no one was impoverished in Nevis_ he thought with a chuckle. It was just how you lived. This country was so traditionalist, Alexander had never seen a car. He sat down at the table and wrote his essay, at school they used computers. _Weird things those were_ he thought.

 

 

**1995**

“Shh Alexander you’ll be a-“her comfort was cut short as she reached over the bed retching. It was hot, everything was too hot. He kicked off the blankets and tucked his knees to his chin, why was he burning? He scrunched his eyes up tight and tried to block out the vomiting. His stomach was already in fits, maybe avoiding it would set back the vomiting stage. He couldn’t throw up, he had just found the strength to eat. The thought of throwing up the food it took him hours to eat infuriated him.

 

“Mama shhh”He croaked desperately. Maybe it was all in his head, everything was far too loud. Rachel made another guttural noise and the sound of retching filled the room again. Alexander’s hair stuck to his forehead as he kicked around fitfully, everything burned. He gagged and leaned over the bed heaving, No he would not give in. _I am in control of you, not the other way around_ he thought. Once he was sure he wouldn’t puke he laid back down, he was freezing. The sweat was drying rapidly, he had the shakes. He quickly pulled the blanket back up over himself but it did nothing. He had stripped himself bare earlier and didn’t have the energy to retrieve his clothes. He couldn’t even remember where he’d thrown them, or how long he’d been naked. Rachel finally finished and plopped back on the bed, she reached a shaky hand toward his. It startled him sending him into a coughing fit. She rubbed his arm gently and shushed him.

 

“Oh dear”she croaked. She lifted the hem of the blanket to the corner of his lip, he was coughing up blood. Alexander continued coughing, Rachel was there. She used the last bit of strength left in her to pull him to her chest, he laid his head on her breast breathing shallowly. Her clear eyes were distant and hollow, it frightened him. Rachel had been losing her vision slowly. In her eyes she saw her baby boy. So small, barely weighed a thing.

 

“Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. O what a foretaste of glory divine”she sang softly. Alexander let his eyes shut as he drifted into a dreamless sleep.

 

 _Please let no harm come his way_ she prayed desperately. Her prayer was answered, he survived the sickness. Sadly Rachel did not.

 

**1997**

Alexander was alone and afraid. He sat underneath the kitchen table shaking as the rain assaulted the roof. He was well acquainted with hurricanes. He and his mother would sit on the bed mat singing hymns. _Be louder than the storm_ she would say. He wouldn’t dare lay on that bed mat again, it only brought death. He only knew silence, this wasn’t a normal hurricane. His house was made of brick but still it shook, the wind was deafeningly silent. He let out a scream as the glass of his window burst littering the floor. The mat was soon soaked with rain water.

 

“Fuck!”he spat. He tucked his knees up to his chest, he couldn’t afford to step on glass and die of an infection. He couldn’t afford to _die_ , he had to live for his mother. He looked around the room, to was so dark. It could’ve only been mid morning he woke a few hours ago, he always rose at dawn to watch the sunrise. It was a tradition, this morning there was no sunrise. It was already dark when he rose, any fool who didn’t know the time would’ve thought it was evening. He could faintly here the sounds of screams, or maybe they were his own. The front door burst open soaking the floor with freezing rain.

 

“Fuck!”he roared and army crawled from under the table. He hopped around the room looking for something, _anything_ to barricade the door shut.

 

“Fuck fuck _fuck_ I can not get sick again!”he screamed in frustration. He had just gotten over his last cold, he was ill for two weeks. He sighed and grabbed the table pushing it front of the door, god he was freezing. His only source of protection was gone, he grabbed he broom for further barricade. He quickly grabbed the blanket off the bed mat and wrapped it around himself sitting in the corner of the room. Objects were flying, pieces of stationary paper, hair ties, it was straight out of that book he’s read. _The wizard of oz_ it was called, he was Dorothy getting swept up in the tornado. But he wouldn’t end up in oz, he would end up dead. Alexander bared his teeth and let out a scream so raw he could feel his throat tear.

 

“Is this what you want!”he screamed to no one in particular. His teeth chattered as he adjusted himself tucking his feet underneath his rear.

 

“You won’t have me! I’m not fucking dying!”He was trembling in his spot but he was determined. God he was cold, he let his hair out of it’s ponytail and let it fall to his neck. Luckily It served as some warmth. His adrenaline was keeping him warm, he continued to scream and cursed everything. He cursed this island, he cursed God, he cursed the devil, he cursed his mother for leaving him here all alone. He was just a boy, his fifteenth birthday was inching close but would he even make it? No one on this island lived past twenty, his expiration date was coming soon anyways.

 

 

**1997**

“I’m glad you found him”Molly said warmly. Alexander shook terribly, the boy was soaked through to the bone. He looked back at what used to be his house, it was in shambles. Going into the forty eighth hour of the hurricane his roof had blown off. The police found him using a trash can for safety. His eyes were hollow, emotionless. His teacher clapped his shoulder enthusiastically, of course she was enthusiastic. She had gotten off the island just in time to a sister island, she was warm and safe. Alexander stumbled forward taking a look around him, everything his eyes could see was in ruins. He took a few more steps and dropped to his knees, everything he had come to know was no longer there. The corner store mama would take him to for penny candy, the school house a few streets over where he used to attend was unrecognizable, his friend Connie’s house was...he looked away. There was an ambulance parked there, no survivors.

 

“Alexander!”she cried out. He buried his face in his hands, this couldn’t be happening. They’ve been through so many hurricanes, why this one, why now? His instinct was to cry out for his mother but she wouldn’t come, she wouldn’t be there to hold him close. She wouldn’t be there to wipe his tears and tell him how proud he made her for being brave. Fourteen. in the terms of this island he was a man, many boys his age had jobs and a family. He neededto act like one, he wiped his tears and rose to his feet shakily. His stomach felt off and he felt dizzy, oh god was the sickness coming back for him? He tried to take a deep breath but they were shallow and labored.

 

“Get him to a hospital!”Molly cried out to the other missionaries, when did they get here? _I can’t afford a hospital_ he tried to say but his mouth wouldn’t cooperate. The same ambulance that was loading Connie to her doom was loading him in as well. He kicked and thrashed biting one of the paramedics, he reached over and took Connie’s hand. They tried to stop him but he squeezed desperately. _Come on_ he thought, _squeeze back_. _Please_ he pleaded to anyone who was listening. He let his hand travel to her wrist, her pulse was still.

 

“She’s dead”he whispered. One of the paramedics looked down at him bemused.

 

“And how would you know?”she asked.

 

“Because that’s how my mothers hand felt when she died”he answered. The air in the ambulance grew still, no one asked anymore questions. The doctors at the hospital quickly confirmed Connie’s death. I _already knew that_ he thought bitterly. Connie was a fine girl, he could have married Connie.

 

A doctor rushed into his room with an overly eager nurse behind her. She didn’t even spare Alexander a glance.

 

“We need a birth certificate for the boy”She said. _What was that?_ He thought. The nurse nodded and began typing on the computer, Alexander’s feet dangled off the bed. He was wearing a children’s dressing gown, it had little lions on it. She turned to him with a kind smile, he felt uneasy.

 

“What hospital were you born at love?”she asked. _She was British_ he thought. He’s never heard a British person before. He giggled under his breath, she sounded funny.

 

“I wasn’t born at one”he answered. The doctor gave him a puzzled look.

 

“I was born at home”he amended. Why were they looking at him like that? He was tired of those looks today.

 

“But...never mind. What’s your mothers name?”she asked. _Was_ he thought.

 

“Rachel Faucette”he answered. The nurse quickly typed that in.

 

“Rachel Faucette born to John and Mary Faucette April 3rd 1962...oh she was quite young when she had you”she said carefully.

 

“Fifteen if I’m doing the math correctly ma’am”he said. He thought nothing of it, that’s when many girls left school to pursue families. He planned on pursuing Connie when he turned fifteen, she was pretty and smart.

 

“Yeah...”she said giving him a side glance.

 

“How old are you Alexander?”she asked.

 

“I’m fourteen ma’am, I’ll be fifteen in a few months. January the eleventh”he recited. She nodded and the nurse typed that into the data base.

 

“What is your full name?”she asked.

 

“Alexander Hamilton...I think my middle name is James. My mama said it once or twice”he said. The nurse took that as answer enough and kept typing.

 

“Can you hop off the bed so we can get your height and weight?”she asked. He nodded and slowly lowered himself down. His joints hurts and his bones freaked. He padded over to the scale and and stepped on. The numbers before him flashed vividly, it was enchanting.

 

“90 pounds”the doctor said. He followed her to the the height chart. He pressed his back against it and fidgeted, it was so cold.

 

“Five feet tall”she proclaimed. He felt his cheeks flush in embarrassment, no man was that short. He stared at his feet.

 

“You’re somewhat on track with growth, you’ll be a fine height”she promised. He nodded slowly.

 

“I’m worried about your weight, when was the last time you’ve eaten?”she asked. He pondered, definitely before the hurricane. But not before his last shift at the merchants shop.

 

“Maybe Monday ma’am”he answered thoughtfully. She quirked an eyebrow at that.

 

“Alexander that was days ago are-do your parents feed you?”she asked.

 

“My mother is dead and my father is not around ma’am”he said bluntly. Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth.

 

“Who have you been staying with?”she asked.

 

“No one ma’am”he answered.

 

“How long have you been alone?”she asked.

 

“Two years ma’am”he answered.

 

“Why haven’t you told anybody!?”she exclaimed breaking her professionalism.

 

“Everyone in the village already knows ma’am, they don’t care”he answered. He was beginning to get aggravated. Could she stop questioning him?

 

“But Alexa-“she started

 

“No one wants to take care of a bastard orphan okay?! No one!”he screamed. She was taken aback, she simply nodded and whispered to the nurse. Alexander rolled his eyes and huffed. The least they could do was talk loud enough so that he could hear. He grew to hate whispering, it only meant gossip.

 

“You’ll be staying here for a while Alexander, I’ll show you to your room”she said. He nodded and followed her down the hall. He wanted to complain but the Hallway was warm and he liked the fuzzy socks they gave him to wear.

 

 

 

**1998**

“I’m going _where?!_ ”he exclaimed pushing himself off the bed. Molly smiled and bounced with excitement.

 

“You’re going to America Alexander! We’re taking you back with us! We read the letter you wrote about the hurricane and you’re far too bright”Molly said. He nodded numbly, he couldn’t believe it. He was getting out of Nevis, he was going to America. The days passed by in a flash, packing what little possessions he had left, tucking the few pictures of his mother away for safe keeping. He held up her cross and slid it around his neck, he refused to let her be buried with it. It was selfish but he needed something left of her.

 

They left on a plane, Alexander was terrified. He wore jeans, a sweater and a hefty jacket. He’d been warned that it was cold in New York. Molly sat with him and coached him through the social norms and so on. It was supposedly not acceptable to walk around barefoot and that he wouldn’t want to anyways. It would be noisy, full of cars and buses and trains. There would be dogs, clean dogs that you were able to pet and not contract fleas from. He fiddled with his hair that was primly braided, it had grown long. It hung down past his waist. She said he would need to cut it, he blanched, _cut it?_ He thought. He couldn’t do that, mama wanted him to keep it long. It was beautiful hair, Molly couldn’t deny that. It was straight down to his shoulders then fell in deep waves, it was thick too. She learned that the hard way when she French braided it this morning. Alexander ignored the majority of her social lesson and peered out the window, that beautiful dangerous sea was out there. It enchanted him but he was also terrified. It was a long flight, he had fallen asleep twice but they were still in the air. This time it was snowing, he gasped and shook Molly gently.

 

“Yes Alexander?”she asked sleepily. He pointed out the window staring in amazement. She smiled and patted his shoulder.

 

“It’s beautiful isn’t it?”she asked. He nodded breathlessly. One last nap and they were touching down In New York. Molly ushered him like a pro through customs to the Immigration office. _He was here on a student visa_ she said. Was he now? That was news to him. They sat in that office for hours as she filled out his paperwork. He was growing restless, he was too old to play with the toys left there.

 

“Oh no he’s an orphan, I’m his temporary guardian”she said quickly. He frowned, no one wanted to be associated with him it seemed. He got passed through caretakers at the hospital the same way. After hours of paperwork they got up and left the office. Alexander marveled at the snow outside, he reached his hand out to touch It. He was surprised by the fact that it was cold. Molly smiled and grabbed his hand leading him down the street.

 

“We’re just waiting for your foster mother”Molly said pulling him into a Starbucks. It was warm in there, he liked it. He marveled at the twinkly lights, it felt like Christmas time. Christmas in Nevis was nothing like this, it was either raining or hot. This looked like the polar express. Christmas music played softly and Alexander swayed, it was beautiful.

 

A woman walked through the door holding onto a stop and shop bag. Alexander perked up at the sound of the bell, Molly had bought him a hot chocolate. It was delicious and tasted vaguely of peppermint, he would savor that taste in his memory. Only god knows the next time he’ll be able to have it. The woman smiled and walked over to the table. Molly let out a cheer and stood up from her seat extending her arms.

 

“Janice! It’s good to see you”she said. Janice grinned and pulled her into a hug.

 

“Likewise Molly, I thought Alexander was a boy?”she said suddenly. Alexander self consciously played with his braid, he was a boy.

 

“I am a boy ma’am”he said quietly.

 

“Oh! Well I couldn’t tell with that braid and those hips, it’s nice to meet you Alexander!”she said pulling him up and into a hug. He frowned, was he really that feminine looking? His wide hips came from his mother, he couldn’t help that.

 

“Oh my you’re just a small lil thing aren’t ya? All skin and bones”she said chuckling. Her grip felt suffocating, he squirmed a bit. She was too warm for his liking. She let him go and he shuffled back to Molly.

 

Molly pulled off her backpack and pulled out the court papers.

 

“You already know where to sign”She said. Janice nodded and quickly signed the paper handing them back. He was very suspicious on Molly’s real job.

 

“What do you really do?”He said narrowing his eyes at her.

 

“I’m an international social worker Alexander, I travel with the missionaries”she said. He felt betrayed, he thought she was just a teacher. She thought nothing of it as she checked checked over the papers.

 

“Everything seems in order Janice”she said proudly. Janice nodded and grabbed Alexander’s hand, he flinched.

 

“Is he cleared to come home?”she asked.

 

Molly flipped through the papers and nodded.

 

“Due to the severity of his state and yours years of experience he is, i’ll be checking in every few months”she said. Janice nodded. They exchanged their good byes, Alexander was nothing short of shocked when Molly pulled him into a hug. He reveled in her warmth, his last memory of Nevis was leaving.

 

“Good luck out there Alexander, you’re gonna do great things”she whispered. He nodded in semi shock and was pulled back out into the cold by Janice.

 

Alexander’s eyes widened as he was dragged through the cold streets of Harlem, it was December 1st and absolutely freezing. He had his suspicions about foster care from the island but Molly told him it was the first step to being adopted. He trusted Molly with his life both literally and metaphorically.

 

“Keep up kid, you’re far too skinny to be moving so slow!”The lady said In annoyance as she weaved her way through city traffic. _Janice_ he reminded himself.

 

“I’m sorry ma’am”he mumbled.

 

She gripped his wrist tighter and ran across the street. Once they made it safely across Alexander shook and looked up at her.

 

“W-we couldn’t just wait for the white man?”he asked.

 

“The white man?”she questioned.

 

“Yeah the white man...the one who makes sure it’s safe to cross”he said.

 

She furrowed her brows and looked at him.

 

“You mean the walk sign?”she asked amusement lacing her voice. He nodded slowly, walk sign...that was a funny name for the white man. He shrugged it off and sighed thinking about the huge houses he had seen on the train ride over here.

 

This was just like his island but colder. There was the neighborhood bodega,the corner store,the school and the church. It seems like everyone’s hood was practically the same.

 

They stopped in front of an apartment complex and the lady smiled.

 

“This is our stop kid”she said and walked up the stairs. It seemed like his feet were frozen because he couldn’t put in the thoughts into motion to actually climb them.

 

“Come on kid, this is your new home-what did I tell you about dragging that suitcase?”she said through gritted teeth.

 

His face paled and a sharp chill shot down his spine as he flipped the suitcase around so the wheels were actually ground level. He hadn’t realized he’d been dragging it.

 

“I’m sorry ma’am”he said.

 

“Good, now come on!”she hissed gesturing towards the door. He quickly climbed the stairs heaving his suitcase behind him.

 

She pulled out a set of keys and opened the door, Alexander was met with an immediate onslaught of noise. A boy around his age was standing there waiting with a baby on his hip, holding a toddlers hand. He had amber eyes and dark hair curly hair pulled back in a ponytail.

 

“Good John you’re here, this is Alexander. Go nuts, I gotta run!”she said pushing Alex forward and jogging back down the stairs.

 

John looked him up and down and frowned.

 

“I don’t gotta take care of you too do I?”He asked.

 

“I-I beg your pardon sir?”Alex stuttered.

 

John furrowed his brows and took a step forward.

 

“The fuck you just call me?”

 

 


End file.
